Work-Life Balance Cartoons: Returning Energised… Yet Still Disconnected from Work

Every time I create a work-life balance cartoon, I try to capture one uncomfortable truth. Here’s the one behind this cartoon:

Even the most luxurious company-sponsored reward trip can recharge your body… but not your relationship with your job.

If a person comes back from a “100% Club” incentive trip—rested, pampered, and celebrated—and still feels a wave of dread the moment they land, what does that say?

Is it really about energy?

Or is it about meaning?

Or culture?

Or expectations that never seem to stop expanding?

And the bigger question:

If perks can recharge us but can’t reconnect us to the work itself, then what do they actually fix?

This cartoon emerged from that insight.

The irony felt honest because many high performers quietly feel this:

Recognition is appreciated. But the day-to-day reality remains unchanged.

So here’s the real provocation:

If someone returns from a reward trip fully energised… and still hates their job, what exactly needs to shift?

I’d love to hear your take.

Have you seen this play out in your workplace?

Or felt it yourself after coming back from a break or a “reward” experience?

Share your thoughts — your perspective often shapes my next cartoon.

If you enjoyed this one, you may also want to explore more of my Work-Life Balance Cartoons, where I dive into similar contradictions and everyday workplace ironies.